Can 24 "Redemption" Redeem 24?

First of all, I am in quite the cranky mood today because somehow, despite all my anti-virus, anti-trojan, and anti-malware software, my computer still got infected with some malware. I thought my McAfee anti-virus program caught it (it said it did) but part of it must have gotten in under their radar. Anyway, I spent the whole morning – from 5:30 AM until now – fixing it.

So take all this into consideration when I say that I am very indifferent to the upcoming 2 hour movie for “24” titled “Redemption,” scheduled to air on Sunday, November 23. (The trailer can be viewed here.)

It seems like forever since an episode of "24" has aired. In fact, I am not sure if anyone has even shown any episodes lately in syndication or on cable, either. And, as the writer’s strike virtually killed its new season,  it's as if Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) dropped off the face of the earth.  

Making matters worse is that there were reports that when they DID start filming, they didn’t like what they saw and scrapped it. If I recall the premise of the story that was scrapped, I think that’s what we’ll be seeing in “Redemption.” It’s being referred to as a “prequel” or “bridge” to season 7; I call it a cast-off , or made from recycled material. 

Here’s what’s supposed to happen in this upcoming 2-hour movie (don’t read this paragraph if you don’t want to be a little spoiled):


Jack left Los Angeles and the LA life behind and is now in Sangala, Africa. He’s now a missionary, alongside his old colleague Carl Benton. Sangala is under siege by a ruthless warlord (played by Tony Todd), who happens to be using abducted children for his militia. And when this militia begins to mess with the children that are under Jack’s care, Jack does what Jack does best – fights back.  Back in the US, there’s a new (female) president - Allison Taylor (played by Cherry Jones) - being sworn in. She’s immediately faced with this “problem” in Africa.   Although Jack is in Africa, finally outside of his comfort zone in LA, this prequel also spends time in the US by introducing new characters that will play a part in season 7. But, don’t expect to see the old standbys like Chloe or Buchanan in this 2-hour show.


Somehow, this doesn’t sound very interesting to me. I think it was necessary for the success of the show to get it out of Los Angeles, but taking Jack to Africa seems a little overboard. (After all, isn't going to Africa what killed the NBC show ER?) I also don’t see Jack as a person who would act as a missionary, or help in a missionary effort, no matter how repentant or regretful he would be over his past deeds. And, since I know the 2-hour episode is the result of a storyline they didn’t think they could carry through the whole season, it sounds that it could be somewhat disjointed. But, the biggest problem is that “24” has been off the radar for so long that I’ve simply lost interest in Jack Bauer. But, I will still watch the show to see if somehow they can make lemonade out of a bunch of lemons. If, however, "Redemption" doesn’t set things up for something new and different for season 7, I think that I may scratch “24” off my must watch list. Hopefully, next week I’ll be writing a glowing review, because I hate wasting 2 hours on a show that I didn’t like. (Maybe by then I’ll be over my computer mishap today and I won’t be in such a bad mood,)



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