24 Points About 24: 9:00PM - 10:00PM

1. If a Chinese aircraft carrier was attacked, I think the outcome would be a little crazier than just a couple of satellites getting knocked out of the sky.

2. Jack needs to get more firepower. This season he's strictly been using pistols.

3. Where the hell is Under Armor during that massive propane fueled fight with the Russians? Get in the field bro! 

4. Cheng realizes that Jack Bauer is close-by and Jack Bauer learns that Cheng is around and both of have awesome reactions - they know only one man will make it out alive. 24 Baby!

5. Tate Tots is such a rookie by asking the C.I.A. for the encryption on Jack's phone. Honestly get your shit together bro.

6. In reference to the above point, I met Tate Tots at a Mexican restaurant this past weekend.

7. It always cracks me up when Jack drives the speed-limit on this show. Like you're literally racing against time, why don't you put the pedal to the metal?

8. Seeing Cheng appear on the show makes me believe that if the show comes back for another season we'll see classic 24 characters like Mandy and Tony return.

9. Honestly the funniest part of the season is when Jack called Audrey to tell her about Tate Tots and the first thing she said was "kill him." Who - your husband?

10. Audrey just eats up Jack's whole warrior personality/creed/lifestyle. My fiancee called that "I could never hate you Jack" line!

11. Gotta love how President Heller has abandoned the morning cardigans and switched over to evening suits.

12. What's worse? Having the President call you a traitor or having Jack Bauer, your wife's ex-lover an "idiot?"

13. I really thought that one of Cheng's men was going to get attacked in the woods by a cougar. Such a missed opportunity. 

14. President Heller was really reluctant to go the Def-Con 3. Where is that fiery leadership he showed earlier in the season?

15. Speaking of Heller, him spilling the pills means that he's going to die right?

16. Putting Tate Tots in the field with Jack is a fantastic twist. Awesome tension. Great glass to the neck kill for him as well.

17. Is it a prerequisite that every Russian person this season is bald?

18. This Scottish hacker guy in the C.I.A. may have a cool skinny tie but he's got nothing on the original hacker nerd - Milo - who set the tone for everyone that followed.

19. Really didn't think that Tate Tots would survive than mansion shootout.

20. Speaking of that mansion shootout - it was pretty solid stuff with action on multiple levels, but I could have gone with a Jack fatality kill, maybe a vase smatch over a head or an impalement? Give me something Jack! Who knew I had so much blood-lust?

21.  Audrey's late night rendezvous was a little too obvious of a terrible situation for her? How you going to do it in a secluded park and not in a restaurant or something.

22. It is kind of a bummer that such a strong character like Audrey is reduced to a damsel in distress at the end.

23. Chloe wakes up in the forrest and if she doesn't have amnesia I'll be disappointed. 

24. So is next week's episode a season or a series finale?

Hollywood's Government Hate

There is a new bad guy in town. It's not islamic terrorists. They're still a little too real for comfort. Aliens don't really make the cut (check out the tepid box office for "Edge of Tomorrow".) Zombies and other ghouls seem content to exist on our television screens not the movie theaters so we're left with a void to fill. Who is so evil that they appear in various forms across almost all of the year's biggest blockbusters? You know them well: they live in fortresses, enforce all the rules though a variety of means, and collect your taxes. That's right folks, the new villain in town: your own government.

The Government as presented in the new Transformers movie.

I first noticed this while viewing the latest Transformers "film." All previous films in the series had the U.S. Government as the heroes with every other scene featuring American badasses using their wits and firepower to kick ass and save the day. That all changed in the latest film, which sees a shadowy secret division of the Government threatening as the primary antagonist of the film. As a fan of the franchise, this change was shocking to me! I wanna see Tyrese and company kicking ass with Optimus, not government agents threatening to kill teenage girls. This change from the government as the hero to the oppressor is jarring but not surprising - after all, government approval ratings are now at a six year low. But still, this was a Michael Bay movie and like Optimus Prime, he is not known for subtlety, so maybe the evil government oppressor was limited to his robot opus?  Of course not.

Everywhere you look on the screen this summer is some type of overlord government who definitely doesn't have the American people's wellbeing as there number one priority. The biggest movie of the year so far is "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" where we see the hero actively turn against the very government he works for when he discovers the surveillance state. In "The Lego Movie" government and big business are interchangeable and they are both designed to crush individuality. "Godzilla" saw the Government covering up monsters and being completely inept at fighting them, a big change from the 1998 version which had the troops defeat the monster.  "X-Men:Days of Future Past " features a corrupt political system that goes onto destroy the world via technology. If you think the current government is bad - just wait until you see what's coming!

It wasn't always this way, was it? Think about "Independence Day" which literally saw the entire world uniting around the American government to save the planet. Even "Men In Black" portrayed the government as badass good guys - so cool in fact that people thought it was rad when they covered up evidence via memory wipe. Don't forget older blockbusters like "Top Gun" which pretty much established the pro-government formula. The kick-ass government film may have worked in the past but these days people don't want it. Everyone seemingly has a gripe with the government now, it's not unique to one party, so why would audiences want to see the oppressors as heroes. The two greatest fictional American spies of the century (Jason Bourne & Jack Bauer) personify NOT following the orders of the Government. You want to see a heroic C.I.A. agent on the big screen - go see "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," - oh wait, no one (except me apparently) saw that movie*.

Look, I realize this sounds a little paranoid and kind of far off the rails. I'm a big fan of the USA. I had a blast on July 4th and was crestfallen when they got bounced from the World Cup. And if it wasn't clear by me seeing Transformers opening night, I love ra-ra-ra America kicking ass movies. But right now I'm just telling you what I'm seeing on the silver-screen. People want to see Katniss fight "The Capital," they want to see Captain America destroy the government apparatus, and they want Optimus to remind us that freedom is "the right of all sentient beings." And right now, in the eyes of Hollywood, the government is the bad guy impeding on those rights.

24 Points About 24: 8:00PM-9:00PM

1.  It's kind of weak how Jack says "I'm in pursuit now" while he's trotting down the street.

2. Chloe's eye-liner is getting more intense with each hour. Note if my fiancee didn't tell me it was eye-liner I would have called it blush or something nuts like that.

3. I'm glad that Michael Wincott is getting his turn as the "big bad" over the whole season. The dude's performance in "Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves" still haunts me.

4. Both Jack and Navarro have tote bags, but only one has a Jack Sack and only one dispatches true justice.

5. Navarro really disarmed that soldier quick, good to know England's finest are working hard.

6. The show does a great job of making locations look more crowded through selective editing. A crowd-shot here, an escalator there, random people walking here -- it goes a long way. 

7. Jack is going to have kill Chloe and it's going to suck.

8. So good to see Under Armor in charge. Although he could have throne a little more energy into his speech for the team.

9. Just what the hell do people do at the CIA/CTU before someone tells them about a threat or a problem?

10. Every time Tate Tots tries to score a point with Audrey, Jack's name always comes up. Jack is indeed everywhere. 

11. Kate Morgan is the alternate universe Nina. 

12. On 24 all interrogations are assisted by hipster dudes with coke bottle glasses who chill in another room nibbling on pens. 

13. When it comes to torture Jack does not need biometrics. Easily one of the more twisted torture hipster lines ever said.

14. 24 has never done marriage discourse well and the Tate Tots and Audrey scene is no exception.

15. Gotta love how the only Russian character in this show is a bald dude with a huge mustache and a wicked accent. What's next British characters who like tea?

16. Look I love me some Chloe but Mary Lynn Rajskub is not the best actress when it comes to dramatic moments out in the field. Keep her behind the computer screen and everything will be fine.

17. Kate and Jack's little trickery on Navarro was cool but it would have been cooler if Jack had to shoot her a la Curtis Manning.

18. It is pretty rough that Kate's husband hung himself, I mean if she doesn't get some level of fatality kill on a bad-guy at the end of this it won't be a satisfactory season at all.

19. The takeaway from Jack's speech to Kate in the car - the only person who deserves forgiveness is yourself. No one else deserves it, everyone else must be destroyed.

THIS GUY IS GOING TO GET DESTROYED BY JACK! IT IS ALL COMING TOGETHER!

20. Oh man, longtime 24 villain Cheng with the entrance of the season. This dude is the ultimate. I'm so pumped he's back. Jack is going to destroy this dude when he sees him - he's the reason there is "distance" between him and Audrey.

21. It's pretty brutal that the whole hacker gang was destroyed by the Chinese. They were just innocent...nerds.

22. This hour of 24 is brought to you by the truth about your dead family members. The truth behind Kate's husband and Chloe's family, all in one episode.

23. RIP Adrian Cross - you have a future in voice-over.

24. Man, what an ending, didn't see that Chinese involvement coming!

24 Points On 24: 7:00PM - 8:00PM

1. Low key the most evil character on the show is the Prime Minister's blonde aid. Straight up Ice Queen.

2. Whoah...fakeout city...one of the biggest twists in 24 history. Calling it now, President Heller is still going to bite it though.

3. You could make a whole other TV show about the roller-coaster ride known as "Audrey's Emotions." A good title would be be Lipstick Drama, cause you know Lipstick Jungle.

4. Tate Tots got played so hard by Jack. He probably is into it.

5. It really cracks me up that Chloe is running her whole operation from a "pub."

6. It is extremely convenient, even by 24 terms, that Adrian Cross had that GPS device, but whatever gets Jack closer to the action faster.

7. Jack's fake-out from above kill was the kill I've been waiting for all season. Decent blood-spurts on it as well.

8. I gotta say Michelle Fairley is extremely convincing holding a gun and barking threats.

9. Jack throwing Margot-Al Harazi out of that window was an easily a top 10 kill of all time, maybe even all time top fiver.

10. If there ever was a person in the world who would know how to rappel down a building with electric cable it would be Jack.

11. Half the reason this episode is so thrilling is because of Sean Callery's pounding score and the expert editing by the 24 post-production team.

12. I wouldn't be all buddy-buddy with the President after he faked his own death and a major terrorist attack was just avoided, but hey, America.

13. That Margot Al-Harazi window kill though! Got Dayuuummmmm!

14. I'm happy Jordan Reed was actually dead, it would have been nuts if he survived getting shot on the boat and getting stabbed. I actually thought it was a possibility.

15. This inspector at the Jordan Reed crime scene is straight up Sherlock - in fact a 24 / Sherlock spinoff would be epic.

16. "Like old times says Chloe," that cuts deep, how is she gonna pick a straight up creeper like Adrian Cross over Jack.

17. It's nice how Kate helped out Jack so much at the start and now he's helping her out!

18. Man I really wanted Jack's CIA contact who can discover the identity to be Tony Almeida aka Tony Immortal, but it's not to be.

19. Jack's mole/terrorist sense should have gone off the minute Agent Navarro tried to get his hands on the device.

20. Funny the device that is "more about drones" looks like a 56K modem taped to a library book.

21. Agent Navarro with the classic " shhhhhhh" as he throws someone in the sleeper hold.

22. Steve Navarro trying to be all tough by hitting the road with a weak-imitation version of the Jack sack. Why even try Steve? You may have gotten away but your choice in male accessories is terrible.

23. If Chloe is palling around with Adrian Cross - I'm calling it now - Jack is going to have to kill her and it's going to be heartbreaking/awesome.

24. Not kidding, this is easily one of the best 24 episodes ever. Epic kills, great acting, shootouts, Jack and Audrey moments, huge twists, and just excitement with every tick of the clock!

24 Points On 24: 6:00PM - 7:00PM

1. It's a nice touch that the bad guys all drive BMWs. I mean what else would they drive? Definitely not American cars.

2. If you're surprised when Jack says he doesn't care if Simone lives or dies - don't be. Remember the beautifully simple quote on terrorists that Jack decreed last week. Oh no? I give it here - "I hate these people."

3. Margot Al-Harazi swears on the soul of her husband. It's really hard for me to not make a Ned Stark joke here but you know I'm thinking it.

4. You know it's a 24 season when you have President's working out shady laws about Presidential decisions versus personal decisions.

5. Damn, good to see President Heller get fired up with Jack. 

6. It's weird seeing Jack talk on the phone with another gal - that should be Chloe he's talking to - not Kate

7. Speaking of things that are weird, it should be Jack doing that whole pull the gun on the doctor routine, not Kate.

8. I gotta give it up to the writers, having Tate Tots and Jack work together is an excellent twist.

9. Remember what happened to Audrey's last husband, Paul Raines? Dude died in the hospital because Jack wanted information out of a terrorist and ordered the doctor not to operate on him. I hope Tate Tots knows that before he teams up with Jack.

10. What exactly is Audrey working on? Muttering and typing?

11.  Jordan Reed calling Navarro is one of the most rookie moves in the history of 24. Who do you think is trying to kill you bro?

12. I wonder if president's really have transponders.

13. Finally we have a scene where Jack pulls an important piece of data out of another person's body. Wouldn't be a 24 season without that. Granted that was a tame version, but still.

14. Jordan Reed calling agent Navarro is a big time rookie move. Why not just bounce back to CTU, hail a cab or get on the "tube."

15. Jack has taken out more US soldiers and Secret Service agents than terrorists this season.

16. When trying to blend in a crowd it helps that President Heller looks like an old British bloke.

17. CLASSIC obligatory sun-down shot. A signal that there now will be more scenes that take place in ambiguous shipping container yards.

18. Agent Navarro's overall shadiness better link up with the main story because it's still completely un-engaging.

19. When Jack and President Heller look at Wembley stadium from above do they compare it to the wonderful stadiums in America and scoff?

20. "Firewalls inside of firewalls" is the most Chloe quote in the history of Chloe.

21.  The Audrey-Tate Tots big time dramatic scene was brutal. I feel for Audrey, she's been through a ton, now to have her husband betray her, and her father day.

22. President Heller gave Jack a pardon - that's convenient for Jack and for (fingers crossed) future seasons.

23.  Great shot of President Heller walking onto the open field at Wembley Stadium.

24. Holy shit, what an ending. DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. Probably the most shocking death on 24 since Tony, just kidding Tony can't be killed. Long live Tony.