Last night's episode of 24 had one of the most powerful emotional moments in the series' history: The hospital confrontation between FBI agent Renee Walker and Jack Bauer. In the chase to apprehend Colonel Dubaku, Marika is killed when the SUV they're in crashes. Agent Walker made a promise to Marika's sister that she'd make sure nothing happened to her. Burdened by the realization of how they used Marika to get to Dubaku (she thought he was someone else, a fake identity, and was in love with him), Walker confronts Jack, asking him to feel something, anything, besides his insistence that they did the right thing and saved thousands of innocent lives. It was a moving moment, and proved--in a good way--that when it comes to Annie Werschling, the actress playing Agent Walker, you can take the girl out of the soap opera, but you can't take the soap opera out of the girl.
So the secret list of who's corrupt in President Taylor's administration is out, released from a memory card hidden under Dubaku's skin ("Cut him open!" insisted Jack...truth be told, we yelled it right before he did, here in the comfort of our own little home). And as one chapter ends, Tony Almeida shows up with more bad news: a new imminent terrorist strike, this one regarding the dictator at the heart of the matter, General Juma. The target is unknown, but the previews--in typical overzealous TV promo fashion--revealed it for next week: the White House.
It takes a pretty big set of producer balls to attack the White House in this day and age of terrorist threats, especially with a new administration barely over a month old in real life. Next week's episode is a special two-hour one, from 8:00–10:00pm.
Minor note to the producers: Draping a number of big banners over the Fox backlot street scene proclaiming "Washington DC Festival" does not make any of us believe for a second you're in Washington DC. While there's been some very effective scenes obviously shot there this season--including last night's talk between Tony and Jack by the reflecting pool, facing the Washington Monument--that one scene of obvious backlot took me totally out of the story, and reminded me of Laverne and Shirley. And not in a good way.
And much as I hate to say it: I still don't trust Tony.
I find Annie Wersching incredibly sexy; it could be the freckles.
Posted by: Shell | February 24, 2009 at 08:06 AM