The Following Takes Place Between 5:00am and 6:00am

Well apparently, this is the last season of 24. FOX and 24 crew have decided to kick the bucket after this final season, so 24 fans, this is all we got. We are coming up on the end of an era. Lets hope its epic After inquiring from several sources, I have come to the conclusion that Jack in fact tallied TWO KILLS in his firefight with terrorist ops bringing his total to 11 on the season! A new hour is about to begin and we'll see if Jack can add some more to his total. 5:00am - 5:10am
Dana helps Samir blend into cab traffic by cutting off atellite for 30 seconds
These Presidential clowns are back.
Hastings tells Pres he cant gaurantee safety of Manhattan
Renee decides she is going with Jack to the UN to transfer the Hassans
Samir makes his way to the warehouse and they are ready to load the fuel rods.
5:14am-5:25am
Samir calls up Madame Prez. He asks for Pres Hassan to be turned over.
The cabinet argues yes, but Pres steps up and says NO!!
General comes to Weiss with a play: Deliver Hasssan, but diguising it as a hostage abduction. But the play has top be kept from Prez Taylor.
5:28am - 5:35am
Hastings tells CTU the bomb will detonate in 50 min unless they find it.
KAnin walks in on Weiss trying to get the info. They trap Kanin inside and KAnin has a heart attack.
Kanin tried to call Jack, but he couldnt talk.
5:41am - 5:46am
They continue moving through the tunnel and Jack sense something is wrong by Weiss and turns the brigade around.
They get fired upon and Hassan family quickly move out.
5:51am - 6:00am
Jack and Renee come under more fire. They realize they were up against Americans, and learn about the ransom.
Samir tells Taran to start the denanator on the bomb. 15 minutes on the clock.
------------------------------
Here we go! Looks like Taran's on a suicide mission with the dirty bomb, which means Samir wasn't bluffin. This thing is for real. CTU has 15 minutes to stop this bomb.
So is Ethan Kanin dying? faking? dead? At the most inoppritune time for his sake, Kanin suffers a heart attack. This basically ends any chance of him warning Jack, but the little bit he was able to do saves it all.

Jack doin work in this one! It looked to me like 5 kills during his protection of president Hassan. But little did JAck know, he was fighting against Americans. Regardless, his orders were to protect Hassan and thats what he did.

Was Weiss pressured into his decision to go thru with the generals plot? It seemed as though his own words were used against him to pressure him into the decision and now its pretty obvious that he has some regrets.

Finally President Taylor is showing her Presidential Teeth. She told those cabinet members what their mission was and exactly how they were going to go about doing it. Way to step up to the plate like you should Madame Prez!

RATING
4 .5 Stars out of 5 - Lots of Action here in this one. 24 goes back to its roots with the main aspect with made it famous. Firefights left and right. And we also had some political treason involved which is always exciting to watch. Well put together episode in the final season of 24.

KILL COUNT!!!
5:00am - 6:00am: I believe Jack had FIVE KILLS this episode!! This is something that I will have to double check, but if so that would bring Jack to a total of 16 Kills on the year.
Season 8: 16 Kills

The Following Takes Place Between 4:00am and 5:00am

This is the hour where anything could happen! Lets Go!!!

4:00am – 4:12am
· CTU is in shambles.
· Jack is talking to some Phil at NSA to coordinate new tactics
· Jack and Cole and 2 CTU guys go to the port to try to pick off the rods
· Taran and crew is already there and firefight ensues.
· They take off by the river with the fuel rods.

4:16am-4:23am
· NSA arrives at CTU trying to get them back up and running.
· Chloe has a feeling Jack is in trouble.
· Chloe seems to be extra worried about Jack. She calls Renee.
· Renee is ready to go out in search of Jack.

4:28am-4:35am
· Dana just caught a huge break. or so she says. Video has been fried.
· Chloe taking charge! Using the gun to get them NSA ego heads out. Now its time to do work Chloe!
· CTU Clown!! The guy got to anxious and scared to stick to the plan and now he’s dead over it. He’s got no one else to blame but himself.

4:39am – 4:46am
· Kayla is reunited with her parents.
· Hastings busts in on Chloe but she convinces them to her 10 more minutes.
· The parole officer asks to talk to Hastings.

4:50am – 5:00am HOME STRETCH!!!!!
· Chloe fixed it!! CTU is back up.
· Jack covers for Cole as he runs for the call box.
· Jack gets taken down , but Renee saves Jack by killing the man who had Jack lined up for a head shot.
· Chloe doesn’t do well with praise.
· Dana decides to take matters into her own hands and strangles the officer to death.
· Upon finishing, she calls up Samir. Dana Walsh is a double agent.

------------------------------------------

We have ourselves a double agent! I sure didnt see this coming. I thought that Dana killed that guy simply because she felt she had no other option beside to go to jail. So she cracked the dude in the back, strangles him to death, then stuffs his dead body in the wall! Edgar Allan Poe anyone? So we now know that Dana is workin with Samir because she called him up as soon as dude was dead, talking about her cover. Man, just as soon as I was beginning to root for her...

There needs to be a section in the 24 hall of fame for all of the people of save Jack's life at the absolute last second, coming from out of nowhere. This time, its Renee Walker. Some credit should also go to Chloe O'Brien for tipping off Renee about the situation, but we'll get to Chloe later. Renee, who was just chilling at home, (who knows what she was doing up at 4:30am) immediately got up and was ready to go as soon as she heard Jack might be in trouble. She didnt even think twice. She knows has that 'anything for Jack mentally'. Something she and Chloe have in common. But as I've said before, when it looks as though Jack is in danger, the question is not 'will he die?', but the question is 'how will he be saved'. Nothing against 24 though. Any show with a star character such as Jack wouldnt dare have their main character die without the show ending upon this death...

One of Chloe's finest episodes! I dont know what it is about Chloe picking up a gun, but it makes you want to do nothing beside cheer at the site of it. Chloe takes a big risk this time, but it ultimately pays off, gaining the respect of Hastings and fixing CTU, and saving Jack. Forget these other clowns, CTU only needs Chloe! Oh, and remember, Chloe doesn't do well with praise. If you didn't already know the definition of awkward, know you do. Gotta love it.

Anyone else notice how much of a roll Jack is on with his predictions. He's just callin everything as if he planned everything for the terrorists....

And where has President Taylor been? Really, she hasn't been seen in a while, and these are situations where she is usually seen. The problem is, I dont really think that there is a reason for this, I just have a feeling it is an inconsistency. Well, its only a 43 minute show, so maybe they just dont have enought time, or room, to fit her in there.

RATINGS

4.5 out of 5 Stars. Twists like this are always great. I immediately popped up as soon as I saw Samir on the other line of that phone. Not quite as good as last week's episode obviously, but this definitely makes two great episodes back-to-back

JACK BAUER KILL COUNT

This Episode: 1? It looked as though Jack may have mowed one down while covering for Cole, but it was hard to tell. I will look into this more as the week rolls on. Regardless, we still got Jack weilding a gun so thats a plus.

Season 8: 10?

The Following Takes Place Between 3:00am and 4:00am

"A Twist That Will Change Everything!" Lets go 24! Samir

3:00am - 3:11am

• IRK nationalist are targeting Manhattan w/ dirty bomb.
• Samir tells Taran that his cover has been compromised.
• Taran takes Kayla and leaves. The dumb sargaent decides to let his ego take over and ulitmately because of him, Taran got away with Kayla, President Hassan's daughter.

3:15am -3:24am

• The parole officer arrives to see Dana Walsh. He seems to know somethings up and keeps questioning Dana.
• CTU comes to Hassan telling him that they need to monitor his communication because they believe Samir's crew will be contacting him.
• Kayla is brought into a room in front of a camera and is tied down to a chair.

3:27am - 3:35am

• Samir says he wants File 33 (US defense weakness files) in exchange for Kayla.
• CTU WILL NOT let them hand over the file.
• 15 minutes on the clock.
• It is evident that Taran still has feelings for Kayla. How we deals with them, we will find out.

-----------------------------

Well, I just wrote this whole long post about how great of an episode this was, but it somehow got deleted. So to make a long story short, it was a clear cut 5 out of 5 stars. Best Episode of season 8 to date. Keep it up 24!

Season 9, Anyone?

With Season 8 now up and running, much of the speculation has turned to whether or not 24 will be back for a 9th Season. Well now rumors have been spreading that if FOX doesn't renew 24 for its 9th Season, then NBC might step up to the plate. This is discussed in an article written for www.screenrant.com by Ross Miller:

NBC To Save ‘24′ From Ending?

Beyond the thrills of the actual TV show, fans of Fox’s long-running real-time TV series 24 must be fretting in between each episode, as the fate of the show hangs in the balance. We’ve been hearing word for awhile now that 24 might be coming to an end after the current season. Sad news for long-time fans who still enjoy the exploits of Jack Bauer.

Previously on 24…

A few days ago we reported on the inside word that the decision about 24’s fate was going to come any day now (at the time of the post it was “a day or two” and yet here we are with no announcement). If the show ended, it would allow the creators time to make a feature film, as star Kiefer Sutherland and the writers and producers have been desperate to do for some time. In fact, they’ve already hired State of Play scribe Billy Ray to write the script for the 24 movie.

However, rather than flat-out cancellation there’s always the chance that once Fox decides not to continue making the show another network will step up to the plate. I theorized that NBC might be that network, since it looks pretty likely that Heroes won’t survive much longer. And now we’re getting the word from Entertainment Weekly that NBC may very well save 24.

EW say that they have multiple sources (unnamed, of course) that claim 20th Century Fox

(the studio) and Fox (the network) have approached NBC about taking 24 off their hands, should they choose not to renew it for another season. And word is NBC is considering it – “There’s definitely some interest,” said an insider close to the talks.

It’s been noted that a move to NBC is still a long shot; aside from the dwindling ratings, the show comes with hefty price tag to make. Plus, it takes the better part of a year to make one season – that’s a lot of cost for a network to bear. Still, the interest from a rival network shows that 24 isn’t a dinosaur that no one wants anymore.

24 - Still going strong?

Unfortunately for those looking forward to seeing Jack Bauer take down terrorists on the big screen, you may have to wait a little longer if NBC does pick up 24 (or if Fox just renews for a ninth season). Since the show’s writers and producers have said it’d be impossible to shoot a feature film while still doing the TV version, we’ll pretty much be waiting until 24 ends before we see a feature film.

What do you think: Happy to see interest from another network in picking up 24 if Fox decides its done with it? Is NBC the right network for the show to jump ship to?

Stay tuned for more on this news as it comes out. I’m sure it won’t be too long before we get an announcement about Fox renewing or canceling the show, and in that case whether NBC does indeed pick it up.

Meanwhile, you can catch the next episode of 24 on Monday March 15th @ 9:00pm, on Fox.

Source: EW

So as you can see, it might not be over yet!And, i'll tell you this, I like our chances. I'll be surprised at this point is there is no 24 Season 9. But, if on the iff chance that Season 8 is the end, at least we can look forward to 24: The Movie.

Scenes From the Next Episode

This one will be an exciting one, and if this doesn't convince you, well then your not human.

The Following Takes Place Between 2:00am and 3:00am

Lets Go! Its that time again!

2:00am -2:08am

• Jack decides he needs to try to talk to Marcos.
• Cole and Jenny gets scolded by Hastings.
• The terrorists are set up with surveillance on CTU and Marcos in the hospital.

2:13am - 2:18am

• Jack tries to talk to Marcos thru the intercom. Marcos doesnt budge and he is prepared to die.

2:23am - 2:28am

• Hassan's wife screams "How could you?!" blaming him for their daughter disappearance.
• CTU arrives at Marcos's mom's door asking her what she knows.
• She agrees to go to the hospital to meet her son.

2:33am - 2:49am

• Dana/Jenny gets a call from a corrections officer wanting to meet with her over Kevin Wade's whereabouts.
• Marcos has got 3 of 4 circuits active.
• Marcos's mom has arrived at the hospital. And Jack explains to her the situation.
• Marcos's mom tries to talk hom out of doing this. He gets emotional but sticks to his plan.
• Jack threatens Marcos with a promise that his mom will die if he detonates that bomb.
• Marcos finally breaks down and comes out, all 4 cicuits acvtive.
• The terrorists trigger the detonator remotley, giving it a 60 second timer.
• Jack tries to disarm it, but realizes he wont finish.
• Marcos tells Jack about Hassan head of secuirty, then blows to pieces in the chamber.

2:53am - 3:00am

• Jack tells Hasan that Taran is a co-conspirator.
• Hassan's wife was able to reach Kayla. Kayla tells them exactly where she is.

-----------------------------------------

Well that ending was kind of abrupt. But those "Scenes from the next episode" were amazing! At least that gives me something to look forward to for next week.

Marcos was gone! He got absoultely destroyed! 24 shows some gruesome deaths, but the striking part about this one is that there was nothing left to show besides blood splatter all over that time machine.

As soon as Jenny/Dana thought she was done with this Kevin Wade, theres more. Know she has to deal with the shady looking parole officer after Kevin whereabout. Right now, Kevin lies at the bottom of some swamp, so Jenny/Dana better have a good story.

Well what do ya know? Maybe Hassan knows what he's doing after all. His suspicions prove to be true as Marcos confesses right before his death that it is in fact Taran that is a co-conspirator. Now it's Kayla who's in danger and Taran who is CTU's new lead. CTU just keeps getting bounced around from lead to lead, but still no indication of exactly where this dirty bomb is.

So with an episode that doesn't give us a cliffhanger, they essentially do with the scenes from the next episode! We get times where certain events are going to happen...At 3:52, "a twist that will change everything!" They say this as they show Hastings running throught CTU screaming "security!!". I think its safe to say that next week's episode will be a good one.

RATING AND STATS

4 Stars out of 5 - Great moments, but not a great episode. Right now, it seems as though some of these subplots are unrelated, but I assume, as time rolls on, connections wil appear to be evident. We will have to just wait and see. The scence with Marcos blowing up was 5 star caliber, but the episode as a whole was not.

STATS: Jack Bauer Kill Count

2:00am - 3:00am: 0 Kills

Season 8: 9 Kills (still)

The Following Takes Place Between 1:00am and 2:00am

Another episode of 24 is ready to go! Get Ready, Get Set, Its the Jack Bauer Pauer Hauer!

1:00am -1:12am

• Cole and Jenny plan to wash their hands of the dead men and the van.
• Hastings finally picked his head up and stood up straight for himself!
• Taylor tells Hassan abouts his brothers claim that a dirty bomb may be launched upon the US. She wants Hassan to provide pictures of terrorists to see if he can recognize
• Taylor threatens to attack Hassan's country unless he hands over the files.
• Taren begins his plan to escape his captivity and meet up with his girlfriend Kayla Hassan.

1:17am - 1:25am

• Farad gets mowed down just before CTU arrvies. Jack tries to get him to talk on site.
• Taylor hops on the Cisco Telepresence with staff and discuss mass casulties if bonb goes off.
• Farads dead. Leads gone.
• Jacks smart! He says CTU needs to play it off like Farad is still alive so the terorrist have to make a play.

1:29am - 1:35am

• Jenny and Cole lower the bodies into the swamp.
• The news shows that Farhad is still alive when in fact he is not.
• The terrorists decide to make a play on Farhad, thinking that he is still alive.

1:39am - 1:47am

• Hassan wants Farhads body to be returned to his mother for proper burial. Too bad CTU is using his body.
• Farhad makes it into the hospital.
• Jack tells Renee he wants to be with her once this is all over.
• Nervous young CTU agent Owen fails when confronted by the terrorist Marcos. He hands over his weapon and agrees to lead him thru the hospital.

1:51am - 2:00am HOME STRETCH!!!

• Owen needs to show the bomb to a camera so chloe can figure out the module.
• Chloe does this and Arlow disarms the bom before Marcos can blow himself up.
• Marcos tries but realizes its broken and starts shootin at the dead Farhad!! Priceless!
• Jack and crew move in and Marcos leaps out the window
• He begins to run and Jack chases.
• He is able to get away and lock himself in some kind of time machine looking thing.

---------------------------------------

Yes! What an Episode! Great Ending. I dont think there was a watcher out there who didnt think that Marcos was going to make a break for that window once he starting backing up. But I dont know how many of us thought that he would get up and start running away. And then, on top of that, he just happens to find some kind of time machine looking thing that he can lock himself in. I was ready for him to push some buttons and instantly appear somwhere running around with guys like Fayed and Dredenko!

How about that little Owen. The little CTU agent looked like a little kid talking to his hero when Marcos came over. He got all sweaty and nervous and was seconds away from falling lat on his face. But he was able to pull himself together when it counted and was able to get Marcos to reveal the bomb. But to add to Owen's troubles, he got cracked in the face by Marcos before Jack and the boys intervened.

Jack the Genius! Clutch thinking by JB with the whole 'play it off like Farhad's alive plan'. Got them exactly what they needed. It drew the terrorists to the hospital and got them another lead. It worked, even if dude is chillin in a time machine right now.

So it seems like the plot we will be talking about for the weeks to come is the threat of the launch of a "dirty bomb" on the city of Manhattan. For some reason, I have the feeling that this bomb will go off. Rumors of this being the last season and all lead me to believe that something out of the ordinary will happen. I wouldnt be surprised to see the terrorist prevail with this plot.

Cole and Jenny spent a full hour AWOL from CTU and at the swamp tending to the dead bodies. Meanwhile, back at the ranch aka CTU, they have been functioning as good as ever without them. Hastings seems to have found new confidence in standing up to the Cheif of Staff, Chloe was working the surveillance like a champ, and Arlow was using his smarts for disarming bombs instead of smart remark. Way to go CTU.

But Right now, we are left with CTU's only lead, Marcos, locked in a time machine where it seems as though he will attempt to manually detonate his bomb to kill himself before Jack and CTU can find a way in. And judging by "scenes" CTU will bring big bad Marcos's mommy in and lets see Marcos's true colors.

RATING

5 Stars!!!! Started off as intense as can be! Everyone was tellin everyone else how it is, and these people running about dealing with those people and vice-versa. The perfect mixture of plot changes without becoming overwhelming. Then that churning at the beginning smoothly played out through the rest of the episode with suspense, action, climax, and even a little romance. Missing anything? Nope. Perfect 5 outta 5!!

JACK STATS -- Kill Count

1:00am - 2:00am: 0 Kills! Who needs kills when you get an episode like that!?

Season 8: Jack remains at 9 on the season. One away for double digits!