Strap yourself in for a bumpy ride

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE.

Two things I noticed right away about last night’s Part I premier of 24. First, Chloe has gotten significantly more attractive, thus well earning the “hottie” comment from Morris. Second the scene and the circumstances surrounding the Chinese giving up Jack to the Americans reminded me of the beginning of Die Another Day when James Bond, after having spent three years imprisoned and tortured by the North Koreans, was returned to the British. After the handoff, M told Bond that “your freedom came at too high of a price.” Sound familiar?

My favorite line was when the President told Jack “this is a desperate measure but also a measure of our desperation.” The shot of the phone conversation between Buchanan and Karen Hayes where the camera zoomed in on Karen's wedding ring reminded me of the first episode of Season 3 where we learned that Tony and Michelle were married. I was beginning to think that Jack had lost his touch when he failed to efficiently coerce the information from that guy (the Assad’s associate with the transponder in his pocket). But he proved his worth once again when he ejected the suicide bomber from the subway train and prevented the would-be martyr from earning his seventy-two virgins.

Tonight’s Part II is going to be interesting. Drudge mentioned on the radio last night that tonight’s episode will go opposite the Golden Globe Awards on NBC where 24 is nominated for best television series and Keifer Sutherland for best performance by an actor in a television series. The Drudge Report also has a story about an internal debate among the writers of 24 as to how far they want the terrorists to go without alarming the viewing public.