Once upon a time I thought that 24 was the sort of show ballsy enough to kill off its main character (obviously, I'm referring to last season) and still be a healthy (speaking of health, Kief is this year's coughing gimp (see also: George "Radioactive Man" Mason)), suspenseful show. Now I know better. It appears that the show's run out of steam, and Nina's latest cameo does nothing to reverse the trend. In fact, her reappearance sums up its current state in whole: bony to the point of emaciation; and limp, stringy hair (they never should have changed her bedhead!). For those of you who don't know offhand what those two points refer to (i.e. if you are not me), it goes like this: the former suggests how lean the writing and energy level has been, and the latter indicates the laziness in the sprawling plots.

I can't believe what I'm about to say, but now I actually miss Sarah Wynter and her voluptuous lips, deliciously high cheekbones and well-styled hair. Using the above algebra, the show would still be hot stuff.