24 - 4x08 "2:00 P.M.- 3:00 P.M."

A quick site update -- for those of you who don't go to school with me, I am indeed alive.

It's a bit of a miracle that 24 has recovered from the disastrous third season, and they even managed to make this episode the funniest in its run so far (though it's arguable how much of it was intentional). Anyway, I'm glad I stuck around long enough for it to get good again instead of bothering with the new Apprentice.

Random thoughts:

I marked out when Soulpatch returned in the previous episode, but he's doing his "D'ya think I'm sexy?" hoarse whisper again. If he survives, he'll be back at CTU no doubt sooner rather than later. Interesting how Jack's been keeping him from getting his regular dose of television (speaking of which -- his watching fútbol marks him as non-neutral in the ethnicity field, which reminds me of Kim's boyfriend Miguel from season 2 who was identified by some cops as Hispanic even though he looked like an emo-boy) -- school has been keeping from my telemedicine, too.

When Marianne was told by her boss not to worry, that they'll "take care" of her in the case that her cover at CTU was blown -- well, cue BIG OBVIOUS GIVEAWAY. And while we're on the subject of heavy-handed narrative techniques, she's probably not going to end up having amnesia (we're not Alias here -- 24 isn't going to repeat itself so baldly), but her concussion's going to keep her from getting interrogated for at least half an episode.

The show tends to treat secondary and tertiary characters as commodities or simply means to an end -- that tech guy at Felsted, Sarah Gilbert from season 2, and I'm sure other even less interesting characters -- and their lives are really an afterthought so long as Jack gets his memory sticks.

Indie rating: Metallica - "Disposable Heroes"