Am I my brother's keeper?
**SPOILER ALERT (highlight the following empty space to read)**
So, Graham is Jack Bauer's brother.
Personally, I think this development is very cheesy. I have referred to this tendency of having all the main characters in an ongoing somehow related to each other as the "Star Wars Syndrome."
It started with "No, I am your father." Without doubt, these five words made a generation collectively gasp. However, with each iteration, it loses its power. You see, as the Star Wars Syndrome spins into absurdity, Boba Fett is actually the son of the guy used to create every single Clonetrooper in the Empire who, by the way, also hired an assassin to kill the woman who would become Darth Vader's "wife" and mother to Luke and Leia. Moreover, Obi-wan was trained by Qui-gon who was trained by the evil Count Dooku who, in turn was trained by Yoda who, in turn, trains Luke. The problem with these type of circular relationships between main characters is that it defies credibility. The world has a lot of people in it. All the cool and adventurous things in the world do not happen to one family. I suppose it comes from the Greeks, you know, Oedipus starting off a series of stories concerning his cursed offspring. However, it is getting kind of, well, old. Listen screenwriters, I know it is tempting to go for the "shock" moment when two, seemingly opposed, characters share a familial bond. However, when we see it over and over and over, it loses its shock value.
With respect to the episode, this episode had to be a "calm down" episode due to the fact that a nuke just got detonated in LA (the whole plot of season two). So I did not think this episode was going to have a bunch of action. While I was not disappointed in the whole, the "brother" thing is cheap.
Exhibit "A", in support of my premise:
Dark Helmet: Before you die, there is something you should know about us, Lone Starr.
Lone Starr: What?
Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room-mate.
Lone Starr: What's that make us?
Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing.
That was in 1987. If it was being mocked in 1987, it is time to stop using the technique.
Predictions:
The blond kid is really Jack's
Comments:
1) Graham's wife is really hot.
2) D.B. Woodside is no Gregory Itzin.
3) Graham was very smooth last season, now he's like a babbling dork.
Funny Moment:
"You may think of me as your enemy, but today I assure you I am not"
"Pffff, Blow me."
(Well, thats what I heard anyway.)
P.S. To "make the circle complete," with my circuitous cross references, today is Randolph Scott's birthday. *singing with hand on heart* Ran-dolph Scooooott!
posted by John S. at 8:51 AM
16 Comments:
1) Predictions
a) I was right that the wind was out fo the South, keeping casualties low.
b) Traffic should be much worse, panic should be much worse.
c) Tim and the trigger, he was right they need to find someone new. Tim and I discussed it yesterday, you plan this mission for at least six months based on Asadd's intel, you option A was 11 weeks of terror attack to have pretense to release this key terrorist, trust a high school kid to obtain the trigger program machine, and now it is credible to believe you can replace this guy and equipment in a day? Not likely.
2) Plot Twists
a) Brother Graham. Jack is estranged from Graham since the death of Terry or do we think it is longer then that? He knows right oaway Graham and his father are involved? Really? Neither Chloe or Buchanan reacted to Jack's Dad as a known suspect in terrorist or espionage activities, yet Jack went right to torture. Seems Jack should have shared these suspicions before now.
As for the plot devise, I thought Jack's family would be back in play, it is a basic devise of 24, Jack torn between his personal relationships and duty to Country, so while your critique is valid, it is not new to 24, it has always been part of each season. (And usually the most annoyning part, Kim, Audrey, Terry, Girlfreind's son etc. )
b) English/Aussie arms dealer. I am always amazed by the trust between criminal/terrorists on the hopes of big cash payouts. But again, they are looking for one person to arm the four nukes to use today as scheduled. They are all going to be in the LA area. Which makes little sense as a plan. Five nukes in one major cty? Why?
c) Walid Al-Rezani, wearing the wire in the detention center, highly implausible he would get any useful intel in one day but the explanation by the FBI is enough for me to suspend tjhe disbelief. I say he gets something critical and then gets killed.
d) Lennox, becoming more likable, telling the General to shut up when the president was speaking hints that Wayne does not have total control of the situation.
3) Things I liked
Fayed driving by Jack in Grenada Hills.
Morris continues to make Milo look stupid
Karen Hayes looked shaken as they enter the bunker, plus the sealing of bunker doors is always dramatic, best done in WarGames at NORAD. I would guess my cell phone does not work in the bunker but maybe the Govt. phones have encryption which let them work.
Things that were cheesy but fun.
Helicopter rescue, my antenna would not pry open the door, it is flimsy light aluminum. Plus I always like the explosion ten feet away that burns no one. I have been at theme park shows at great adventure with explosions 150 feet away and felt the heat, I have fought house fires, you would be very red if that helicopter exploded that close to you.
Jack and his siter-in-law having a prior relation, as John says, blond and taller then Graham. They definitely want you to think the kid is Jacks.
Jack telling the guy not to go to Valencia but not trying to stop him.
With the additional nukes it has become clear, Fayed is cheap. 11 weeks of terrorist attacks and an old technology v. new technology that costs more but can be gotten in a day.
OK three times the charm home with sick kids and not able to post until now.
OK so I liked the twist of Graham being Jack's brother. he was visibly shaken when he heard Jack was back and alive. Clearly there was some serious love lost in the past.
I too think the kid is Jacks. Will be interesting to see if we find out the past relationship of Jack and the SIL.
It was clear to me that Jack knows his brother is up too no good. Not sure of he knows how bad his brother is i.e. wanted him dead.
Question 1 is Dad in on it with brother was he one of the guys dealign with Logan or is he into his on bad stuff.
John mentioned he thought it was cheesy that Graham was much more devious last season but I find it believable that he was now like Oh Shit brother Jack is back wonder if he knows what I did. I think I would be a bumbling idiot as well. Loved the torture scene. Jack holds nothing back even for family.
Sister's boyfriend likeable character. Hope all works out for him would be a shame if he gets killed although that coul dbe a reason why Sister goes on a rampage.
I too thought Lennox was muxh more likable last night. Showed respect to the President and does actually look like he is a trusted confidant. Of course that could
all change by next show.
Thought it was great how Fayed drove past Jack also made it more believeble that he wasn't that far away.
So that is it for now. Kids bugging me again.
I agree that the method by which they obtained the trigger seemed a little bit sketchy. I mean, they called Kumar a "recruit". I am pretty sure I would not trust a "recruit" to handle something so dangerous. Moreover, I also agree thatit is unlikely that they could get a replacement on the spot like they seem to be doing.
I was amazed how quick Jack went right for the torture. He must know something more than we know. Perhaps he knows about BTG?
Re: Walid Al-Rezani - I can not tell you how many books I have read that use that technique (rough an informant up in order to gain the perp's trust) you would think they would catch on? Also, can Sandra get ANY more annoying? When the FBI agent called her out on her crap, she did not even pretend to play innocent or take a moral high ground, she just flaunted it in his face. What a jerk.
P.S. It was an Admiral, not a General who was speaking over the President. That scenne was very important though. It conveyed to us the general feeling that people do not have confidence in the President. I thoguht that was a very good, economical use of screen time. It would have been easy for someonoe to come on screen and quote some poll statistics. However, the writers SHOWED us what they wanted us to know, they did not "tell" us. This is good.
On a different note. Why the hell are they going to detonate all of the nukes in LA? I mean, that is just dumb! There should be one in NYC, one in DC one in Chicago one in LA and one in Baldwin, NY (you know, the birthplace of John Shotter, the Great American Hero, so as to demoralize Americans as a whole).
I have another problem with the 5 nukes. It appears pretty clear that Fayed had all five cases in Valencia (one in the warehouse and the other 4 in the van in the warehouse). If the intent was to detonate them all at the same time, why not remove all cases from the van and have the scientist reprogram the triggers all at once? It's not like they knew that CTU was closing in on the safehouse.
Another thing, it was Fayed's intention to detonate them all that day. However, he had to ask the scientist how long it would take to reprogram the trigger (answer: 20 minutes). What if the scientist said it would take six hours? With only one reprogramming device, it would have taken forever. Bad planning on the part of Fayed. I expect more from my villans.
I am not sure you would want to detonate them all at once. You would get more terror out of one detonation....waiting... announcing another...waiting... detonation....waiting...announcing another detonation.... waiting....detonation....
Hell, after the third one, you could probably get some real demands on the table.
With respect to the time it would take to reprogram the device, perhaps Fayed had a general idea of how long it would take (under an hour) and not no idea at all.
Hi everyone-
For starters---
I like that Graham is Jack's brother. I mean talk about a switched at birth scenario. Could the 2 be anymore different? Nobody saw that coming from 100 miles away- and I like when stuff like that happens- even if its been done before. However- Ted is right- and Jack is always involved in a family vs. duty conflict so this just takes it to another level. Plus- I like that it allows us to see a little more of Jack's personal life.
2. I don't think the kid is Jack's. He already has a duaghter-- a very annoying one-- and he was married to Teri for a while. I didn't even think of that for one second.
3. Where did Graham get all his money-- man that was some house. He's got funding from somewhere.
4. Didn't you think that Jack was going to use the wires from the lamp to turture Graham they way he used a lamp back in season 3 or 4 on Audrey's ex? I totally thought he was going to tear open Graham's shirt and start shocking him.
5. Scene between Lennox and Admiral was well done. It was almost laughable how much the Admiral hates everyone in the Middle East. Lennox put him in his place and I love how he interupted the President when telling the Admiral NOT to interrupt the President. Pretty funny if you think about it.
6. Nuclear devices-- so question- how are there all of a sudden 4 more suitcase nukes? I thought the one that was detonated was the last one? Perhpas it was the last "model"? Clarification please.
7. I bet McCarthy- English guy in touch with Fayed-- his girlfriend will be instrumental in reprograming the device-- why else introduce her?
8. I agree with John 100% as to why you wouldn't detonate all 5 nukes at the same time. Not to be cliche- but don't put all your eggs in 1 basket. If you blow up 1- wait- do another-- wait-- etc., you scare the living hell out of everyone.
9. FBI guy put Sandra in her place. Her position is too annoying to be believable anymore. She has become trite and as predicted is using her stature as the Pres. sister to get her out of trouble.
I liked it-- and I really like the twist of Graham being Jack's brother. That doesn't bother me at all.
Mitch, good point about interrupting the President about iterrupting the President. That made me laugh.
Maybe I am just getting too jaded with the "familial relationship" thing.
I do believe that the girlfriend will be the key in exposing the English arms dealer. No doubt about it. good call Mitch!
I didn't think Seran wrap had so many uses.
it is waterboarding without the water.
The only problem with using Saran wrap it is that is is so easy to break. All you have to do is breathe in really hard and bite down and grind your teeth. A couple of holes form and, then, you breath out really hard and they widen.
/yes, I have been waterboarded.
//no, it was not fun
I wouldn't think that would be fun- seems awful.
pretty much worse than awful
It is actually a the plastic bag from the waste paper basket like you all have in you offices.
same concept can apply.
Now, if you used the rubber material they use to make rubber gloves, well, THAT is a different story.
I was thinking about the fire on the helicopter. The shot they took was one shot. It did not cut. The people on the roof ran and the helicopter blew up. While I think it put off a bunch of heat, I thinkk the house would have shielded the stunt people (on the roof) from alot of the heat. But, even if it didn't, the fact remains that we saw them do it. There was no cut shots to mask the fact that the stunt people were exposed to the heat.
Interesting tidbit, did you know Eddie Izzrd was suppossed to play the English guy? Weird.
I saw that. Bad casting in my opinion. He is too comical
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