Reviews and More

Last night’s episode of 24 was number 6×21, and the action took place between 2:00am and 3:00am. Rather than go into a full recap, I’m just going to tell you my thoughts on the episode, with the assumption that anyone reading this has already seen the show.

CTU: As soon as I saw Cheng preparing his small army for their mission I knew CTU would be the intended target. It’s simply amazing to me the number of times CTU has been breached, either by enemy combatants or by moles. This is an agency that’s supposed to be protecting the general public against terrorist threats?! They can’t even protect themselves!

Nevertheless, I thought the actual hostage situation was pretty intense. Poor Milo — seeing him get shot in the head made me gasp out loud, and I haven’t had that kind of reaction to this season of 24 since Jack shot Curtis in the throat. Wow!

That said, I’m wondering why Philip needs Josh for his scheme. What could this kid possibly know about the Russian circuit board? I have no idea where this is going, but we have just three episodes to wrap things up/set up the story for next season.

White House: Thankfully we didn’t have to sit through too many White House scenes last night. I don’t care about the guy selling secrets to the Russians, but since that has become a plot point this late in the season, there is probably (hopefully?) going to be a major reveal somewhere along the line. The White House stuff has been soooo boring this season. I realize the episodes can’t be *all action all the time* but I wish the writers would come up with subplots that are actually interesting. This current one? Isn’t.

Final Thoughts: Now that I think about it, not much happened during the hour. The Milo assassination is the only thing that really stands out about the ep a day later, and that was clearly just written into the script for its shock value.

Otherwise where are we, really? Jack moved from the holding cell to the main CTU work area. Cheng didn’t do anything except talk to Philip Bauer on the phone. Josh went from watching TV in the CTU waiting room to being a hostage. Doyle found empty weapons crates. Lisa had sex with her treasonous boyfriend (again).

So, yeah, not a strong episode, but I don’t know — I did kind of enjoy it. Maybe it’s because I know the season is coming to a close soon!

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I’m behind on my television viewing yet again, so I apologize for getting this review up a day late. Last Sunday’s episode of Desperate Housewives was called “Into the Woods,” and served to push several storylines forward. Here’s my take on what happened in episode 3×21.

Lynette/Tom/Rick: I actually liked the way this storyline played out. Lynette went through such genuine emotions at every stage of her relationship with Rick, and I could totally understand how she enjoyed the innocent flirting without wanting things to go any further. I thought Lynette was acting true to character when she fired Rick and am kinda glad the writers didn’t pursue the affair angle after all. Then we would have had to deal with weeks or months of Lynette Angst and that wouldn’t have been fun. I still think Tom is a loser and Lynette deserves better though…

BTW — that scene where Lynette was crying in the bathroom while Tom talked to her from the other side of the door? Heartbreaking stuff. Felicity Huffman really sold the anguish there — what a fantastic actress!

Susan/Mike: I thought it was a stupid idea for Susan to want to go on a two-day hike to try to track down Mike and tell him that she loves him. In other words, another typical plan for her! But then I actually enjoyed her hike with that trail guide and thought it was great that Mike finally found her in the end. I have NEVER been a fan of this Susan and Mike pairing, and never liked them together at all. But even I have to admit that the last scene of him swooping in to pick her up was pretty romantic!

Victor/Gabby: So after not seeing a single iota of evidence to suggest that Victor was anything other than a charming guy, he turns into a mustache-twirling villain the moment he’s elected to office? I’m calling b.s. on this one. Gimme a break. And couldn’t he have hired better goons? My grandfather looks more threatening than those guys.

Gabby was funny in her encounters with the traffic cop. Isn’t it just like her to think that being a mayor’s wife means something? Yeah, it might if they lived in a major city like Chicago, New York, or D.C., but viewers have always been led to believe that Fairview is a typical suburb, not a sprawling metropolis. Anyway, Gabby’s “First Lady of Fairview” proclamations had me snickering.

Carlos/Edie: I still HATE them as a couple, so I’ve got nothing to say about their scenes.

Final Thoughts: Desperate Housewives doesn’t feel the same without Marcia Cross in the mix, but I was still able to enjoy this episode. There was a nice balance of comedy and drama, which is what DH is all about IMO. Here’s to hoping the final few eps of the season are just as good!

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