24 Live Another Day Series Blog: 11.00- 13.00

When 24 first hit our screens back in 2001, it revolutionised TV with its real-time method of narration and the strikingly current theme of terrorism. The show’s original run lasted for eight seasons with plots including torture, assassinations, cyber attacks with Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer at the centre of it all. Since season eight’s culmination, the show has lived on with constant rife rumours of a revival and after four years, Jack is finally back.

(source: wallstcheatsheet.com)

24: Live Another Day comes with two notable changes: it’s set in London and there are 12 episodes instead of 24 that cover the events of one day. Apart from that, it feels like classic 24. One reason why 24 was so successful in its original run was the partnership of Jack and Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), the writers thus capitalize on this in the first episode back. With Jack vilified by his own government and Chloe having released thousands of classified documents – à la the Wikileaks scandal, their relationship is more complicated than ever. The writers also utilize the excitement around Bauer’s return and Sutherland’s compelling onscreen presence creating suspense with Jack’s first words of “take her to me now” coming forty minutes in.

’11:00am-12:00pm’ saw Jack Bauer return to our screens in the same manner as he exited, looking at us through the lens of a camera on a grainy screen with Jack quickly being captured by the CIA. Of course it was all part of an elaborate plan to be taken in to be interrogated before breaking out to rescue Chloe whom was being held nearby. President James Heller (William Devane) is also in London to negotiate a new base from which drones will be deployed. Meanwhile, Lt. Chris Tanner (John Boyega) is monitoring a military convey that is under US protection, however he loses control and can merely watch as it fires a missile, killing four, including Britons.

The second episode ’12:00pm-1:00pm’ then follows the search for Derek Yates (Joseph Millson) a rogue hacker who was involved in the attack on the convoy. After escaping from Jack and Chloe, Yates however is stabbed in the ear by his girlfriend in a pub toilet (the first of many brutally classic 24 deaths). At the end of the episode, the mastermind of the drone attack is revealed as the girlfriend’s mother, played by Michelle Fairley. President Heller whilst attempting to handle this situation is shown to be struggling with the early signs of dementia, posing a serious problem with suggestions that an international incident may be on the horizon.

With Jack vilified by his own government and Chloe having released thousands of classified documents their relationship is more complicated than ever.

With a variety of new characters, 24: Live Another Day faced the danger of mixing old faces with one-dimensional characters. This is however, overcome by employing basic character archetypes with which the audience are already familiar and taking a somewhat slow start to the episode in order to build these characters and the subplots right from the offset. With faces from Games of Thrones, Dexter, The OC and more, the viewers feel a sense of familiarity. In ’11:00am-12.00pm’ we first are introduced to the head of the CIA, Steve Navarro (Benjamin Bratt) who will, no doubt, be constantly defied by his agents and face pressures from the government before coming to realise that he needs Bauer’s help. Agent Kate Morgan (Yvonne Strahovski) appears to be Jack’s new antagonist as she’s the agent who realises Jack’s plan of being caught in order to then break out Chloe.

On a sidenote, Strahovski bears a striking resemblance to characters from 24’s past such as Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert) and Kate Warner (Sarah Wynter). Likewise the vendetta of the White House Chief of Staff Mark Boudreau (Tate Donovan), who is married to the President’s daughter and Jack’s former love interest Audrey (Kim Raver), against Jack will surely prove problematic. The character is also an obstacle in Jack and Audrey’s inevitable reunion. As for the change of location, the move to London has not seemed to affect the show at all with the welcome additions of jibes about the British police force and Stephen Fry’s appearance as the Prime Minister.

(source: observer.com)

The premiere left many enigmas yet to be solved – one of the main questions being: what happened to Jack in the four year break? At first he seemed like the same old Jack but he then states “I don’t have any friends” – not even Chloe – suggesting that the four year break wasn’t kind to him, even by Bauer’s standards. Long-term 24 fans will also already be asking who the mole is with seeds already being planted and no new character can seemingly be trusted.

24: Live Another Day is dark, nostalgic and reminiscent of the early days, sticking to the formula that previously proved extremely successful. With many waiting years for the return of split action and the countdown clock, expectation for 24: Live Another Day was high but the premiere was everything that fans could have hoped for.